Recent legislation has required vehicle seat headrests to extend higher in vehicles for improved safety. For example, European legislation requires that the top of the headrest be positioned 750 mm above the hip pivot point, which is substantially higher than most current designs. As a result of these tall seat designs, the collapse of the seat is difficult due to interference caused by the extended height of the headrest. Accordingly, folding headrests have been developed to accommodate such designs and allow tumbling and dumping of tall seats.
The folding headrest also maximizes visibility to the rear of the vehicle when folded, particularly through the rearview mirror, and is therefore a desirable feature, particularly when such folding also enables tumbling and dumping of taller seats.
However, a major problem with existing folding headrests is that they are typically mounted on a support bar, and a cut-out trench is required in the trim cover material along the sides of the headrest to enable attachment of a pivot shaft in a manner in which the pivot shaft is not visible in the vehicle. These cut-out trenches are very difficult and expensive to manufacture because the trim cover material must cover the pivot shaft and its corresponding aperture, which requires significant gluing and stapling operations within the trench, which are undesirable in the manufacturing process.
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved foldable headrest which does not require side trenches for pivoting, while being aesthetically pleasing and fully functional.